Can the DOE keep up with DOGE?
Chris Wright’s first Secretarial Order
Chris Wright’s first Secretarial Order pivots the DOE’s priorities towards energy abundance. How long until the impact is felt? Can the DOE keep up with DOGE?
𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙞𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨? Amid the nine actions outlined in the order, a few key shifts stand out. The first - "Advance Energy Addition, Not Subtraction" - sets the tone for much of what follows and includes this statement:
“Net-zero policies raise energy costs for American families and businesses, threaten the reliability of our energy system, and undermine our energy and national security”.
Notably, wind and solar are NOT mentioned AT ALL. The tailwinds are firmly behind other technologies. For example:
R&D efforts that include fossil Fuels: “… prioritize affordable, reliable, and secure energy technologies, including fossil fuels, advanced nuclear, geothermal, and hydropower…”
Accelerate and enable the buildout of the grid and “reliable” energy infrastructure: “… the Department will identify and exercise all lawful authorities to strengthen the nation’s grid, including the backbone of the grid, our transmission system”… “the Department will identify and exercise its legal authorities to expedite the approval and construction of reliable energy infrastructure…”
Prioritize baseload and dispatchable power: “… The Department will bring a renewed focus to growing baseload and dispatchable generation to reliably meet growing demand…”
Energy sources like nuclear, gas-fired generation, geothermal, and oil & gas should do well. As should energy infrastructure like transmission line, pipelines and LNG.
How quickly will we see the impact of this pivot?
𝘿𝙚𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙨:
Quotes from each action in the order that stood out to me:
• Advance Energy Addition, Not Subtraction: “Net-zero policies raise energy costs for American families and businesses, threaten the reliability of our energy system, and undermine our energy and national security”… “the Department’s goal will be to unleash the great abundance of American energy required to power modern life and to achieve a durable state of American energy dominance.”
• Unleash American Energy Innovation: “the Department’s R&D efforts will prioritize affordable, reliable, and secure energy technologies, including fossil fuels, advanced nuclear, geothermal, and hydropower.”
• Return to Regular Order on LNG Exports: “On January 20, the Department resumed consideration of pending applications to export American liquefied natural gas (LNG) to countries without a free trade agreement (FTA) with the U.S. in accordance with the Natural Gas Act”
• Promote Affordability and Consumer Chose in Home Appliances: “not regulate products that consumers value out of the market; instead, affordability and consumer choice will be our guiding light”
• Refill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR): “the Department will review SPR infrastructure and develop appropriate plans to safeguard this important strategic asset”
• Modernize America’s Nuclear Stockpile: “modernize the nation’s nuclear weapons systems”
• Unleash Commercial Nuclear Power in the United States: “the Department will work diligently and creatively to enable the rapid deployment and export of next-generation nuclear technology”
• Strengthen Grid Reliability and Security: “the Department will identify and exercise all lawful authorities to strengthen the nation’s grid, including the backbone of the grid, our transmission system”… “The Department will bring a renewed focus to growing baseload and dispatchable generation to reliably meet growing demand”
• Streamline Permitting and Identify Undue Burdens on American Energy: “the Department will prioritize more efficient permitting to enable private sector investments and build the energy infrastructure needed”… “the Department will identify and exercise its legal authorities to expedite the approval and construction of reliable energy infrastructure”